Last British troops to leave Bosnia

More than 600 British troops are to be withdrawn from Bosnia, the Government has confirmed.

The announcement, by armed forces minister Adam Ingram, comes amid Conservative claims that the Government is "scratching around" for troops to deploy to Afghanistan.

More here...

• U.N. court rules Bosnian Serbs committed genocide in Bosnia

The UK first deployed troops to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1992 and at the height of operations had a force of 12,000 there, engaged in peacekeeping and reconstruction work.

Today, there are about 6,000 international troops, including the British contingent. But Mr Ingram told the House of Commons that the Balkan state was becoming increasingly safe.

The European Union decided on Tuesday to scale back its Eufor military force to 2,500 troops, allowing Bosnia to "take more control of its own affairs".

The withdrawal of the Welsh Guards will leave only a small number of British staff officers at Eufor HQ in Sarajevo, while Britain will also contribute to the pan-Balkan Operational Reserve Force, said Mr Ingram.

Earlier this week, it was disclosed that 1,400 reinforcements are being sent to Afghanistan, putting extra strain on the military despite a 1,600 cut in the UK commitment to Iraq.

Following today's announcement, shadow defence secretary Liam Fox told the Commons: "There is a widespread suspicion that this decision is predicated to freeing up more troops for the mission in Afghanistan."

Mr Ingram said military operations in Bosnia had not been without significant loss and a series of commemorative events would be held to honour the 55 British personnel who died and the thousands who served there.

The announcement came as the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall paid a visit to the Welsh Guards at Banja Luka in Bosnia to celebrate St David's Day